


Inner Needles

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Series: Culture Shock [12]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Heartache, Hurt/Comfort, Possibly Unrequited Love, Rose Feels, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-07
Updated: 2013-12-07
Packaged: 2018-01-03 21:10:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>"I miss the old Doctor."<em></em></em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inner Needles

The Doctor was growing rather concerned. He wasn’t certain, but he almost believed that he’d made Rose mad about something. She’d been silent the entire morning, keeping her lips pressed tightly together and her arms folded over her chest.

Eventually The Doctor scuttled toward her with a tray. “Here’s breakfast, Rose: a Full English Fry-Up, made by yours truly!” he announced proudly, settling the tray in her lap.

Rose clenched her teeth tighter and mutely nodded her thanks. The Doctor’s hopeful smile faded as an inner needle tattooed confused hurt across his hearts.

Sitting beside Rose on the couch, The Doctor sought her eyes with his.

“Rose. What’s wrong?”

Rose refused to look him in the face as she mumbled something inaudible and shook her head. Her clear blue eyes were dark and sad as she hung her head over her plate.

“Did I burn the biscuits?”

Rose shook her head once more.

“What is it, then, sweetheart?” The Doctor persisted helplessly, feeling like he was trying to convince a child to show him her scraped knee. “I can’t make whatever it is right if you don’t tell what whatever it is... _is_!”

“I miss—” Rose whispered, lifting her head to look The Doctor in the eye. When she saw the expectancy in his eyes, she sighed dejectedly. “I miss the old Doctor.”

The Doctor’s inner tattooing needle stabbed deep, grotesquely writing understanding hurt over the confused hurt.

“Oh.” The Doctor pursed his lips. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s so hard, Doctor!” Rose burst out desolately. “I mean, I care so much for you. You’re my _best friend_ , but in order to get you I had to lose him. Sometimes it feels like betrayal to be best friends with you so casually when he had to die for it.”

The Doctor nodded slowly. “I understand. But I don’t want you to worry, Rose. I knew this would come, so I planned for it.” He lifted himself to his feet and strode with purpose to the TARDIS console. Rose watched glumly as The Doctor began pulling levers and punching buttons.

“Where are we going, Doctor?”

“Backwards,” was The Doctor’s flat and utterly unhelpful response.

When the engine’s creaking and wheezing ceased, The Doctor motioned toward the door. “You can go out, if you want. Just don’t interfere.”

“Interfere with what?” Rose asked as she pushed open the TARDIS door. She gasped in shock. There, sitting at a table in the sun, was her past self and across from her was...

“Ah, I got the coordinates right,” The Doctor noted softly as he joined her at the door. He put his hand at the small of Rose’s back. “There he is. The old Doctor.”

Rose’s vision blurred. She watched as The old Doctor slipped a leather-clad arm around her past self’s shoulders and tipped his head to rest atop hers. The faint shimmer of the old Rose’s hair further illuminated the comfortable smile on The old Doctor’s face. 

“This is our first date!” Rose couldn’t hold back a subsequent sob. “Chips. I bought chips,” she whimpered, her words directed mostly toward The old Doctor that sat across the way. “If I’d known how little time we had, I would’ve...”

The new Doctor saw the way she looked at The old Doctor, with such adoration and longing that it brought her to tears, and he drew away from her. He would give her time to grieve. Maybe after Rose’s heart had healed from her own throbbing tattoos, there would be room in her to love him.

 


End file.
